U.S. patent number 5,419,453 [Application Number 08/191,522] was granted by the patent office on 1995-05-30 for trash receptacle with bag retainer.
Invention is credited to Jeffrey L. Lochridge.
United States Patent |
5,419,453 |
Lochridge |
May 30, 1995 |
Trash receptacle with bag retainer
Abstract
A trash receptacle for use with a trash bag liner is disclosed.
The trash receptacle includes a sleeve, a base member, and latches
which secure the base member to the sleeve member. The sleeve
member has a open ended box-like body with an upper edge and
inversely tapered sidewalls that extend downwardly from the upper
edge to terminate in a lower edge. The base member has a floor with
a walls extending from the perimeter of the floor to define an
enclosed area. The base member has a rectangular cross section
conforming to that of the sleeve, allowing the sleeve to rest and
fit on the base member. In an alternative embodiment, the cross
section of the base member is circular and the sleeve has an
inverse, frusto-conical configuration.
Inventors: |
Lochridge; Jeffrey L. (Rexburg,
ID) |
Family
ID: |
22705824 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/191,522 |
Filed: |
February 4, 1994 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/495.06;
220/908; 220/908.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65F
1/06 (20130101); B65F 2230/15 (20130101); Y10S
220/908 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65F
1/06 (20060101); B65F 1/04 (20060101); B65F
1/14 (20060101); B65D 007/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/404,403,402,908,625 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pollard; Steven M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Litman; Richard C.
Claims
I claim:
1. A trash receptacle for use with a trash bag liner
comprising:
a base member, said base member comprising a open topped body
having a floor, a perimeter edge, and a base wall extending
upwardly from said perimeter edge of said floor, said base wall
terminating in a top edge;
a sleeve, said sleeve comprising a open top and open bottom body
having an upper edge, inversely tapered side wall means extending
downwardly from said upper edge to define an enclosed area, said
side wall means terminating in a bottom edge, said bottom edge
configured in conforming cross section to said top edge of said
base member and adapted to fit on top of said base member, said
sleeve having a handle means for lifting said sleeve from said base
member;
a pivot arm having a first end and a second end, said second end
being pivotally attached to said side wall means of said
sleeve;
said base wall of said base member having a depression; and
a hook member securing said sleeve to said base member by engaging
said depression, said hook member includes a hook base and a hook
end for engaging said depression, said hook base is pivotally
attached to said first end of said pivot arm, wherein said pivot
arm permits said hook end to slide over said top edge of said base
member.
2. The trash receptacle according to claim 1, wherein said securing
means comprises a latch.
3. The trash receptacle of claim 2, further comprising means for
retaining the trash bag liner within said trash receptacle.
4. The trash receptacle of claim 1, said sleeve having an inverse,
frusto-conical configuration.
5. A trash receptacle for use with a trash bag liner
comprising:
a base member, said base member including a open top body having a
floor, four perimeter edges, base walls extending upwardly from
each of said four perimeter edges of said floor to define an area
having a rectangular cross section, each of said base walls
terminating in a top edge, and a depression formed in said base
walls;
a sleeve, said sleeve comprising a open top and open bottom body
having an upper edge, inversely side walls extending downwardly
from said upper edge to define an enclosed area, said side walls
terminating in a bottom edge, said bottom edge arranged in
conforming cross section to said top edge of said base member and
adapted to fit on top of said base member;
a first and second handle, said first handle attached to one of
said four tapered side walls of said sleeve, said second handle
attached to another of said four tapered side walls opposite said
first handle, said first handle and said second handle having a
first lateral side, a second lateral side opposite said first
lateral side, and a first slot on said first lateral side of said
first handle and a second slot on said second lateral side of said
second handle, wherein said first and second slots retain the trash
bag liner within said receptacle;
a pivot arm having a first end and a second end, said second end
being pivotally attached to said side wall of said sleeve; and
a hook member securing said sleeve to said base member by engaging
said depression, said hook member includes a hook base and a hook
end for engaging said depression, said hook base is pivotally
attached to said first end of said pivot arm, wherein said pivot
arm permits said hook end to slide over said top edge of said base
member.
6. A trash receptacle for use with a trash bag liner
comprising:
a base member, said base member including a open top body having a
floor, a perimeter edge, a base wall extending from said perimeter
edge to define an area having a circular cross section, said base
wall terminating in a top edge, and a depression formed along said
base wall;
a sleeve, said sleeve comprising a open top and open bottom body
having an upper edge, inversely tapered side walls extending
downwardly from said upper edge to define an enclosed area, said
side walls terminating in a bottom edge, said bottom edge arranged
in conforming cross section to said top edge of said base member
and adapted to fit on top of said base member;
a plurality of handles;
a pivot arm having a first end and a second end, said second end
being pivotally attached to said side wall of said sleeve; and
a hook member securing said sleeve to said base member by engaging
said depression, said hook member includes a hook base and a hook
end for engaging said depression, said hook base is pivotally
attached to said first end of said pivot arm, wherein said pivot
arm permits said hook end to slide over said top edge of said base
member.
7. The trash receptacle of claim 6, wherein each of said handles
includes means for retaining the trash bag liner within said
receptacle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of trash receptacles and
in particular to receptacles that utilize liners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An unpleasant aspect of daily life, whether at home or at work, is
the accumulation of trash. Such accumulation is known to be
especially acute in the kitchens of restaurants and other food
serving establishments. Trash receptacles of various sizes and
shapes are have been used to accumulate waste and are often lined
with a disposable liner bag. The liner bags include a mouth or
opening and are adapted to be received in the trash receptacle.
There are a number of problems associated with removal of a trash
liner bag once it has been packed with trash, particularly for
large trash receptacles. A full trash bag liner is often heavy and
difficult to remove from the receptacle. The difficulty of removing
the full liner is compounded by the vacuum formed in the receptacle
as the bag is removed.
Additionally, there are a number of problems associated with
cleaning the bottom of a trash receptacle which has been soiled due
to leakage of the a liner. The height of a fairly tall trash
receptacles make it difficult to thoroughly clean the bottom of the
receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,841, issued to Howard Sussman on Sep. 8, 1987,
discloses a Container For A Plastic Trash Bag. The container
includes a polygonal body with an open top and a cap in the form of
an open frame. Although the disclosed container allows for
retaining a flexible plastic bag within the container, the
disclosed structure fails to provide a convenient means for removal
of a full trash bag.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,715,572 and 4,765,579, issued to Edward S.
Robbins, III et al. on Dec. 29, 1987 and Aug. 23, 1988,
respectively, both disclose a Trash Bag Retainer. The disclosed
device is attachable to a trash receptacle and provides means for
retaining a plastic bag liner in place within the receptacle. The
disclosed device also provide a means for venting the air between
the bag liner and the sidewalls of the receptacle. However, the
disclosed device fails to provide a convenient means of removing a
packed trash bag liner.
The following patents all disclose devices that retain plastic
trash bag liners within a trash receptacle: U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,856,675, issued to Sam Palazzola on Aug. 15, 1989; U.S. Pat. No.
4,867,339, issued to William N. Hahn on Sep. 19, 1989; U.S. Pat.
No. 4,892,224, issued to Donald J. Graham on Jan. 9, 1990; U.S.
Pat. No. 4,913,308, issued to Russell D. Culbertson on Apr. 3,
1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,056, issued to James E. McCoig on May 15,
1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,022, issued to James C. Metcalf on Jul.
2, 1991; and Sweden Patent No. 180,070, issued to Johnsson on Dec.
21, 1962.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in
combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as
claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a
novel trash receptacle design that allows for removal of the upper
portion of the receptacle to facilitate easy removal of a trash
liner from the receptacle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a trash receptacle
design which will allow for easy cleaning of the receptacle once a
trash liner is removed.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and
arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described
which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in
accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification
and drawings.
A trash receptacle according to the invention is provided having a
sleeve member and a base member. The base member includes a floor
with walls extending from the perimeter edge of the floor. The
walls terminate to a top edge.
The sleeve member has an open top and open bottom body with tapered
side walls which define an enclosed area. The side walls of the
sleeve have both upper edges and bottom edges. At the bottom edge
of the sleeve, the side walls have a cross section conforming to
that of the base member. The bottom edge of the sleeve rests upon
the top edge of the base.. The sleeve is detachably secured to the
base.
With the sleeve attached to the base, a trash bag liner is placed
in the receptacle. Once the trash bag liner is packed with trash
and tied off, the sleeve is detached from the base and pulled up
and over the full bag. The inversely tapered walls of the sleeve
allow the sleeve to be easily pulled over a packed trash bag liner.
Removal of the sleeve allows the user to lifted the trash bag out
of the base and easily disposed of. Once detached from the sleeve,
the base of the receptacle may then be cleaned by hand or placed in
a dishwasher.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trash receptacle with the sleeve
secured to the base;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a trash receptacle with the with
the sleeve detached from the base;
FIG. 3 is a view in section of the receptacle taken along the line
3--3 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary cross-sectional view
showing the latching mechanism for the receptacle;
FIG. 5 is plan view of a trash receptacle;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a trash
receptacle.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The trash receptacle I of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1
and FIG. 2, includes a base member 10 and a sleeve 20. The base
member 10 has an open topped body 11 made of a plastic material.
The body 11 includes a floor 12, four perimeter edges 13, and base
walls 14 extending upwardly from each of the four perimeter edges
13. The base walls 14 define an enclosed area 16 having a
rectangular cross section. Each of the base walls 14 terminate in a
top edge 17. In one preferred embodiment, the base unit has a
height of 4 inches, a length of 20 inches and a width of 26
inches.
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the sleeve 20 has an open top and
open bottom body 21 made of a plastic material. The body has an
upper edge 22 with inversely tapered side walls 23 extending
downwardly from the upper edge 22 to define an enclosed area The
tapered side walls 23 allow the sleeve 20 to be easily pulled over
a packed trash bag liner. The side walls 23 terminate in a bottom
edge 25 which is arranged in conforming cross section to that of
the top edge 17 of the base member 10. The bottom edge 25 of the
sleeve 20 rests on the top edge 17 of the base member 10. As shown
in FIG. 5, two handles 30 may be attached to the sleeve. The
handles 30 are attached to opposing side walls 23 of the sleeve 20.
Each of the handles 30 may include a slot 31 to facilitate
retention of a trash bag liner within the receptacle 1. In one
preferred embodiment, the following dimensions are appropriate. The
side walls 23 of the sleeve have a height of approximately 30
inches. The upper edge 22 of the sleeve 20 has a rectangular cross
section measuring 18 inches in width and 24 inches in length. The
bottom edge 25 of the sleeve 20 has a rectangular cross section
measuring 20 inches in width and 26 inches in length.
The sleeve 20 is secured to the base member 10 by four latching
mechanisms 40. As shown in FIG. 4, latching mechanism 40 includes a
hook member 41, and a pivot arm 42. The pivot arm 42 has a first
end 43 and a second end 44, with the first end 43 pivotally
attached to the a side wall 23 of the sleeve 10. The pivot arm 42
is attached to the side wall 23 near the bottom edge 25 of the
sleeve 10. The second end 44 of the pivot arm 42 is pivotally
connected to the hook member 41. The hook member 41 fits into a
depression 45 formed in the base wall 14 of the base member 10 and
secures the sleeve member 20 to the base member 10.
An alternative embodiment of the trash receptacle 60 is shown in
FIG. 6. The alternate embodiment is made up of a base member 70 and
a sleeve 80. The base member 70 has an open topped body 71 made of
a plastic material. The body 71 includes a floor 72, a perimeter
edge 73, and a base wall 74 extending upwardly from the perimeter
edge 73. The base wall 74 defines an enclosed area having a
circular cross section. The base wall 74 terminates in a top edge
77. The base unit may have a height of 4 inches, and a cross
sectional diameter of 20 inches.
The sleeve 80 has an open top and open bottom body 81 made of a
plastic material. The body 81 has an upper edge 82 with inversely
tapered side walls 83 extending downwardly from the upper edge 82
to define an enclosed area having a circular cross section. The
tapered side walls 83 allow the sleeve 80 to be easily pulled over
a packed trash bag liner. The side walls 83 terminate in a bottom
edge 85 which is arranged in conforming cross section to that of
the top edge 77 of the base member 70. The bottom edge 85 of the
sleeve 80 rests on the top edge 77 of the base member 70. Handles
90 may be attached to the sleeve 80. The handles 90 of the
alternative embodiment 60 are identical in structure to the handles
30 of the preferred embodiment 1. The side walls 83 of the sleeve
may have a height of approximately 30 inches, and the upper edge 82
of the sleeve 80 may have a circular cross section measuring 18
inches in diameter. The bottom edge 85 of the sleeve 80 has a
circular cross section measuring 20 inches in diameter. The sleeve
80 is secured to the base member 70 by four latching mechanisms
100.
It is to be understood that the present invention is limited to
neither the preferred embodiment nor the alternative embodiment
described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *